Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Lowered by Park National Corp OH

Park National Corp OH trimmed its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 244,284 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 13,169 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 3.4% of Park National Corp OH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $125,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at about $228,000. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 2.2% during the third quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,586 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $11,071,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Microsoft by 3.7% during the third quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 969,392 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $497,201,000 after purchasing an additional 34,656 shares during the period. CapWealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% in the third quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 84,108 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $43,139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% in the third quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,198 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $5,231,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MSFT. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $725.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $608.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock traded down $5.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $530.61. The stock had a trading volume of 26,926,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,422,492. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $516.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $440.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $559.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $92.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. Microsoft’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.13 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.89 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 19.00%.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle’s AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, and digital solutions for consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.